Simple pleasures
by Vyvyan the Rabbit
Summary: Tails' hopes of a perfect date are shattered when Cream ends up being sick, and the fact that the Tornado is broken from earlier conflicts doesn't help matters.  *oneshot, first romance fic*


"Simple Pleasures"

The sun peeked over the valley, illuminating the silent hills. Everything started to gently stir awake, their dreams already forgotten. On a lone hill, a workshop and its owner were silent and still. Tails was still sleeping, but in the garage. He was still occupied by his dream. He seemed to be floating, but unable to control where he was going. Images from his past were wavering in front of his face. Everything from Sonic to the Tornado seemed to be disappearing right in front of him.

"Why… is everything…" he said shakily, "…just disappearing?" He felt something soft on his shoulder. He turned to see Cream fade away, just as everything else did. "Wha…? Wait! No!" He reached for her hand, only to grasp dust.  
*BRRRRRRRRRRINNNNNNNGGGGGG!* His alarm went off right next to his ear. "Gih, Cream!" he shouted, sending away the birds outside the garage. He panted as he took in the fact that it was only a dream. "Whew, what was that…" he muttered, trying to remember what the rest of his dream had entailed. "…Never mind. It was only a dream – OWW!" He tried to stand up, and hit his head on the wing of the Tornado. "What is the – oh, yeah, the Tornado still isn't fixed. Frikin' Eggman… Screw it, I'll do it later." He grabbed his pillow and started to walk to the house, only the alarm went off again. He kicked it to shut it up. "Stupid thing," he hissed. Why can't it just stay quiet after I shut it off? ... You're talking to yourself again, Tails." He rubbed his head on the way inside.

After he took care of his morning grooming, he grabbed his phone. He made a note of the time (about quarter to eight), dialed a few numbers and waited.  
"Hello, Domino's Pizza," a girl on the other line answered. "May I take your order?"  
"Yes, hi," said Tails. He paused in thought. "I'd like a large pizza with cuteness and beauty and a 2-litre of liquid love, all for less than two cents." He did his best to stifle a laugh.  
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the girl, "but we ran out of all that, so I guess you'll have to settle for me." She laughed. "Good morning, Tails."  
"Good morning, beautiful," said Tails. "How are you this morning, Cream?"  
"Much better," she said, "now that you called."  
This caught Tails off guard. "Huh? Wait, whaddaya mean 'better'?" he asked. "Are you okay?"  
"Oh, I've got a sore throat," said Cream, trying to calm him, "but it's no big deal. I'm still ready for today."  
Tails didn't know what to say. "… Okay, but take some Zicam or something," he said, trying to not sound forceful. "Remember your immune system."  
Cream cringed a little. "Oh, no Zicam for me," she said quietly. "That stuff hurts my nose. But I'll take something, okay?"  
Tails sighed. "… Okay, but drink some juice or something with whatever it is you take."  
She laughed. "Tails, I'll be fine," she assured him. "By the time you get here, I'll be perfectly fine."  
"Well, I guess I better get going then," he said slyly.  
"*coff coff, ahem* O-okay, see ya in a minute," said Cream. Then she hung up.  
Tails just sat there, mulling things over in his head. "… She doesn't _seem_ to be getting better," he thought. "Hope she does."

Since the Tornado still wasn't working, Tails had to fly himself over to her house. At first, he seriously despised the idea, but he saw that it gave him a chance to see what Spring did to the landscape. Everything was green, there were fields of flowers, and the waves breaking on the beach some ways away were audible. He smiled, then remembered that he had to get going. He made it to her house after a bit. He checked his breath and knocked on the door. Vanilla answered it.  
"Oh, good morning, Miles," she said with a smile.  
"Morning, Vanilla," he said, forgetting that she called him 'Miles' a lot. "Nice day, huh?"  
"Oh, marvelous," she beamed. "My poppies are loving it. Would you like to see them?"  
Tails was doing his best to be patient. "*ahem* Um, no thanks," he said quickly. "Is Cream awake?"  
"Oh, yes. Come in, won't you?" she beckoned him in. "She's right here."  
Cream was on the recliner, watching some soccer. "Hello, mother," she said with a small smile. "Oh Tails, you're here!" She jumped up to hug him. He smiled and embraced her back.  
"Good to see you too," he said softly. "Umm, listen… I couldn't fix the Tornado, so the movies will have to wait for a little."  
Cream kissed him on the cheek. "As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are," she said with a happy smile.  
Tails sighed, knowing that everything would be okay. "I like your shirt," he said.  
She blushed a little, for she forgot what shirt she was wearing. It was white, and it had Tails' face in a heart. "Um, thanks," she said quietly. "… I made it myself."  
"No kidding," said Tails. He realized that sounded bad, and replied "No store can make it look that nice." He smiled nervously. She just smiled and hugged him again.  
"Thank you, Tails." She smiled at him. "I put a lot of work into this."  
"If you like it that much," he wondered aloud, "why haven't I seen it before?"  
"It's… kind of a security blanket," she explained. "I wear it every night."  
Vanilla decided that she'd done enough snooping and went upstairs to leave them alone. "I'm glad they can make each other so happy," she thought.  
Back downstairs, Tails was still on about Cream's shirt. "It looks a little small, I must say," he said, looking at her partially exposed midsection.  
"Well, I made it last year, and I've grown, so…" she said with a shrug. Tails was taken aback.  
"You liked me back then?" he asked with a smile. "Wow, I thought it was just a recent thing."  
"Nope," she said with a smile. "I meant to ask you out earlier, but you beat me to it, remember?"  
Tails sighed happily. "How could I forget?" He was lost in his memories for a moment.  
"Are you still here?" she asked with a laugh.  
"Mhmm." Tails looked at her. "I'm just… enjoying the moment." They moved a little closer, closed their eyes, and their lips started to pucker. Tails could feel Cream's breath on his lips…  
"ATCHHOOOO!" Cream sneezed loudly and instantly blushed, for she didn't have enough time to turn her head. Tails, who was now wet, started laughing a little bit.  
"Wow, now that's what I call 'explosive love'," he said after he finished laughing.  
Cream giggled a little, and grabbed him a towel. "Sorry," she said quietly. "It was one of those creep-up sneezes." She sighed.  
Tails wiped off his face, then hugged her. "It wasn't your fault," he whispered. "Nature's funny sometimes." In an effort to be funny, he gently wiped her nose with the towel.  
Cream sniffed a little. "Thank you," she said quietly.  
Tails could sense that she wasn't in the best shape. "C'mon, let's sit down." He led her to the entertainment room, where the soccer game was still going on.  
"Oh, we don't have to watch this," Cream said quickly. "Here, you choose." She handed Tails the remote. He shrugged and started surfing around. He found Monty Python's Flying Circus on BBC.  
"Will this work?" he asked her.  
"Yeah, sure." She shrugged, having never seen it before. They were there, hand in hand, for a good three-and-a-half hours, enjoying the sheer humor of the Brits. A commercial flashed on the screen, and Tails turned to face Cream.  
"Well, do ya like it?" he asked, moving his hand to her shoulder.  
"Yes, I do." She smiled. "How do you find things that I like so much, Tails?"  
"I… guess I know you that well," he said with a smile. He rubbed her shoulder, making her giggle a little.  
"Tails, stop it," she said, pushing him gently. "You know I'm ticklish."  
He smiled slyly. "Well, I guess I _don't_ know you that well."  
Cream looked confused. "Huh? What do you—" she started, but Tails started at her, tickling her midsection. She started to laugh a little too hard. "Ta-hahahaha-ils, stop it! Ple-hehehehe-ease! Sto-" *coff coff coff*  
"Uh-oh," thought Tails. He got up, but Cream was coughing harder and harder. "Do you need some wa-" he started, but Cream ran to the bathroom. "Oh, jeez, that's not good," he thought. He heard some retching inside the bathroom, and his ears fell. "Dammit, I was just trying to be funny…"  
Cream came out a minute later, looking rather pale. "I told you to stop, didn't I?" she asked in between gasps.  
"I'm really sorry, Cream." Tails slumped down the wall a little.  
"It's alrigh…" she started, but she slid down the wall, into Tails' lap.  
He picked her up and carried her to her room. After laying her onto her bed, he sat in a chair by the window. He watched the sunset and sighed. He rested his head on his arm, and dozed lightly for a while.

After about two hours, he snorted awake, and Cream started to stir. "Ngh, Tails…" she whispered.  
Tails got up from the window and walked over to the bed. He put his paw on her shoulder, gently. "I'm here," he whispered.  
She opened her eyes and hugged him, crying gently. "Oh, Tails, I'm so sorry for all this," she sniffed.  
"Why are you sorry?" he asked, dumbfounded. "This was my fault, wasn't it?"  
She cried louder. "Ohh, no... My sickness caused all of this, and I've ruined your day."  
"Hey, hey." He lifted her head up gently. "None of this was your fault, okay?" He wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Being sick is something that's unavoidable. If anything, blame nature, alright?"  
She sighed. "…Okay, Tails." She hugged him again, and her tears slowed.  
"If anything," Tails admitted, "it's my fault, because I couldn't get the Tornado fixed, and we couldn't go anywhere. I ruined this and got you really sick." He hung his head. He felt moisture in his eyes, and then something soft on his cheek. It was Cream's left hand, gently lifting his face towards hers. They inched closer, closing their eyes…  
Cream felt cotton on her lips, and opened her eyes. Tails had his finger over her lips. "Sorry, but you don't need to sneeze, do you?" he asked with a smile.  
Cream smiled, and politely turned her head away. They both waited for about a minute before she said "Nope, I don't." Then, showing that she didn't mind not going anywhere that day, she kissed him deeply. Everything around them - the bed, the desk, the room (yes, even the bloody _room_) disappeared, making the moment much more meaningful. Their tongues met and slithered playfully together until a need for air drove them apart.  
"Heh, well, that was *pant, pant* good to know," panted Tails. "I'm glad you feel better than before."  
Cream hugged him again. "I don't know what it is," she said quietly, "but when you hold me, I feel better."  
Tails caught on and hugged her tightly. "Well, can I get you anything else?" he asked.  
She looked at him, her eyes glistening from the still-rising moon. "Tails," she whispered. "I only want this night in your arms. That would make me feel a hundred percent better."  
He smiled. "I can do that just fine. Anything to make you feel better, Cream."

The night wore on. In the solitude of the forest, two lovers embracing in their sleep were being watched on by the moon. Their bodies and dreams intertwined, making it the longest night they were meeting arms to arms.

**Well, that's my first real romance story. I initially was inspired by a song ("I Feel Better" by Hot Chip) to write this, and it became much more than a little inspiration. **

**For the record, I couldn't find any good way to incorporate Cheese into this, so please don't feel like I ignored the little bloke.**

**I guess the dream in the start was a sort of 'foreshadowing' bit, seeing as how Tails saw everything he liked vanish, and that was sort of how he felt when he got Cream to be sick.**

**Bear in mind that music offers more than just entertainment.  
I'm gonna go eat now.**

**-Usagi**


End file.
